Asia Business Media

This is a BLOG from Mark Cochrane of Business Strategies Group in Hong Kong. We've been keeping a close watch on B2B media and business information in Asia since 2000 and look forward to sharing insights with you.

Friday, February 27, 2015

News this week: New York-listed Alibaba Group has announced the company’s completed restructured relationship with Zhejiang
Ant Small and Micro Financial Services (Ant Financial) – now officially parent
company of Alipay and Alibaba’s small- and medium-sized
enterprise (SME) loan business.

Alibaba Group and Ant Financial first agreed on a purchase agreement prior
to Alibaba’s IPO in September 2014. The restructuring sees Alibaba reduce its
risks involved with the loan business and refocus on the e-commerce sector.
According to Alibaba, Alipay has more than 300 million registered users and
processes more than 80 million transactions per day as of December 2014.

The Alibaba Group will no longer consolidate the financial results of the
SME loan business in its future financial filings. Ant Financial’s businesses portfolio
offers a range of services complimentary to Alibaba’s “e-commerce ecosystem”
including Alipay, Alipay Wallet, Yu'e Bao, Zhao Cai Bao, Ant Micro Loan and
Sesame Credit.

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News this week: Earlier this week, dmg events Middle East and Asia announced its expansion
through the opening of the company’s new Indian headquarters in Mumbai and
offices in Bangalore. dmg events has appointed Mr. Sajid Desai as country director
to lead its operations in India.

Mike Allsopp, senior vice president of dmg events Middle East, India and
Asia, commented, “With an energetic and visionary new government looking to
stimulate key sectors of the Indian economy, dmg events are looking forward to
taking advantage of the opportunities that will emerge. Sajid is an experienced
professional who is well versed in operating in the Indian market with over two
decades of experience in business-to-business, special interest and
business-to-consumer industries in exhibitions, events, media and online.”

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which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website
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for all the latest updates.

New this week: Earlier this week, Bangkok-listed business
information provider, Business Online (BOL), announced its financial results for
the year ended 31st December 2014. The company reported revenues of
US$14 million, up 13% year-on-year. However, net income in the year decreased
by 12%, down to US$2.4 million. Diluted earnings per share in 2014 were Baht 0.10
(US$0.0030).

More than half of
BOL’s revenues were generated through its flagship online information service,
amounting to US$7.0 million. This represents a 10% decrease from the previous
year. Other service generated revenues of US$6.4 million, a growth of 59%. The
remaining revenues were generated from other income, which the company did not
supply details regarding these revenue categories.

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News this week: Last week, trade show organiser Mega
Expo Holdings Limited
announced its interim result for the six-month period ending 31st December
2014. The company generated revenues of US$23 million, a year-on-year decrease
of 10%. Net profit during the period was US$5.6 million, flat against the same
period in 2013. Diluted earnings per share in the period were HK$0.2075 (US$0.027).

According to the
company, the majority of its revenues were generated from the organising of
exhibitions, which dropped by 10% to US$22 million. The company’s remaining
revenues were generated from exhibition-related services and ancillary
services.

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News this week: Earlier this month, international
organiser, Informa plc,
released its financial results for the year ended 31st December
2014. Group revenues in the year were £1.1 billion (US$1.8 billion), flat against
2013. Adjusted operating profit in 2014 was also flat at £334 million (US$521
million).

The company
reported revenues generated from its global exhibitions grew 25% year-on-year,
reaching £200 million (US$312 million). Adjusted operating profit was £67
million (US$105 million) in 2014, an increase of 35%.

In Asia, Informa reported
a strong performance of the China Beauty Expo,
which the organiser acquired in 2013. A total of 1,837 companies occupying
6,433 booths exhibited at the 2014 event, and attracted 252,200 visitors from
80 countries and regions. The event covered an exhibition space of 127,000 m2
over 11 halls at Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).

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which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website
to find out more about this service.You can also follow us on Twitter
for all the latest updates.

News this week: The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has
revealed Thailand’s business events industry in 2014 was driven by significant
growth in visitors originating from the Australia and Oceania region. For the
financial year ended September 2014, Thailand received a total of 919,614
business events travellers generating more than US$2.1 billion.

In particular, TCEB highlighted Australia’s position as a top six source
market for Thailand’s MICE industry, as Australian business events travellers jumped
137% year-on-year to reach 37,947 generating an estimated US$91.3 million. For the
overall Oceania region, business events travellers were up 81% to 47,446. During
the first quarter of 2015, a total of 190,660 business events travellers
generated revenues of more than US$428 million.

Mr Nopparat Maythaveekulchai, president of TCEB, commented during the Asia-Pacific Incentives
& Meetings Expo (AIME) in Melbourne,
“As the Thai government’s official flagship body for the business events
sector, a core part of TCEB’s mission is to foster the close connections that
have been developed with our counterparts and business travellers in key
markets such as Australia and Oceania. A 137% increase in Australian visitors
in 2014 confirms that our direction in this region is attuned with market
demands, especially within the corporate meetings and incentive travels
segments.”

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which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website
to find out more about this service.You can also follow us on Twitter
for all the latest updates.

Friday, February 13, 2015

News this week: China’s leading e-commerce company, Alibaba Group,
announced it invested US$590 million in exchange for a minority stake in Meizu, a smartphone manufacturer based in China.

Under the terms of
the deal, Alibaba and Meizu will cooperate to develop Meizu’s hardware and
Alibaba’s mobile operating system. Alibaba will provide Meizu with resources
and support in e-commerce, mobile Internet, mobile operating system and data
analysis for developing Meizu’s smartphone ecosystem, while Alibaba’s online
shopping marketplaces will become distribution channels for Meizu’s smartphones
and other devices.

Jian Wang, chief
technology officer of Alibaba Group, said, “The investment in Meizu represents
a significant expansion of the Alibaba Group ecosystem and an important step in
our overall mobile strategy as we strive to bring users a wider array of mobile
offerings and experiences.”

This post is excerpted from BSG's weekly e-newsletter
which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website
to find out more about this service.You can also follow us on Twitter
for all the latest updates.

News this week: Sporting goods exhibition, ISPO Beijing,
concluded last month with new record numbers. A total of 434 exhibitors with
656 brands were showcased at the event and it attracted 29,948 participants.

Organised by Messe München GmbH, the event ran from 28th to 31st
January 2015, at China National Convention Center (CNCC) in Beijing. Covering about 40,000 m2,
the event featured products from the outdoor, action sports, ski, sportstyle
and fabrics & fibres segments. International exhibitors originated from
Austria, Korea, Czech Republic and Taiwan.

Klaus Dittrich,
chairman of the Management of Messe München GmbH, said, “The four trade show
days once again showed that the sporting goods industry continues to grow in
China. This is also evident in the increasing number and quality of the
exhibitors.”

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which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website
to find out more about this service.You can also follow us on Twitter
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According to UBM, visitor numbers grew 7% over 2013 with visitors
originating from 95 countries and regions. CPhI India featured a number of
group and country pavilions including those from the U.K., U.S., Brazil and China.
New features this year saw the launch of a new mobile app to provide additional
content to enhance show attendees’ experience.

Chris Kilbee, group director of the pharma portfolio at UBM EMEA Amsterdam,
said, “CPhI India success clearly demonstrates the continued growth and
recognition of the CPhI portfolio around the globe. Our strategy of carefully
listening to our customers, incorporating integrated elements and continually
opening up the exhibition to other sectors of the pharmaceutical supply chain,
and when appropriate, jointly branding events – such as with P-MEC in India –
is integral to our global, yet local, business approach.”

This post is excerpted from BSG's weekly e-newsletter
which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website
to find out more about this service.You can also follow us on Twitter
for all the latest updates.

News this week: Earlier this week, the 9th edition of Plastindia concluded at the new Mahatma Mandir
Convention cum Exhibition Centre. The six-day
plastics industry trade show featured 2,000 exhibitors from 40 countries and
regions. Plastindia was held from 5th to 10th February. According
to the show’s organiser, close to 200,000 visitors attended this year.

Plastindia was previously held at New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. While the media reported some exhibitors are
concerned about lower attendance from foreign buyers due to the move away from
New Delhi, the show’s organiser, Plastindia
Foundation, has stated the next edition of Plastindia in
2018 will remain in Gandhinagar.

Subhash Kadakia, president of the Mumbai-based Plastindia Foundation, was
quoted saying, “Plastindia 2015 has surpassed all our expectations.” A board
member of the PlastIndia Foundation added, “The footfall was higher than at
Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Besides India, the show saw participation from
companies in U.K., France, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, China, Taiwan and
Korea, etc.”

This post is excerpted from BSG's weekly e-newsletter
which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website
to find out more about this service.You can also follow us on Twitter
for all the latest updates.